United Kingdom

Britain’s drone air force decimated by pilot error

By Robert Verkaik, Daily Mail

From Robert Verkaik, Daily Mail:  Nearly half of Britain’s top-secret military drones deployed in Afghanistan have crashed – many because of pilot error.

NATO allies may lack sufficient precision bombs for Syria contingencies

By Zachary Fryer-Biggs, Defense News

Fabius on NATO: ‘France will act to pursue the reform of the alliance’

By Laurent Fabius, International Herald Tribune

From Laurent Fabius, International Herald Tribune:  In 2009, we did not support a return to the integrated command, but there is no question of organizing a permanent to-ing and fro-ing, and there would be little point in leaving it again today. However, we must ensure that our return, now officially endorsed, does not result in […]

Swiss spy agency warns U.S., Britain about huge theft of data

By Mark Hosenball, Reuters

From Mark Hosenball, Reuters:  Secret information on counter-terrorism shared by foreign governments may have been compromised by a massive data theft by a senior IT technician for the NDB, Switzerland’s intelligence service, European national security sources said.

The Geopolitics of Shale

By Julian Lindley-French

Energy is the stuff of power. Long dead British Socialist Aneurin Bevan once remarked, “This Island is almost made of coal and surrounded by fish. Only an organizing genius could produce a shortage of coal AND fish at the same time.” Bevan lived in those long-distant days before the EU concentrated such organizing genii in […]

Britain’s New Armed Forces Covenant

By Julian Lindley-French

Two weeks ago, General Sir David Richards, Britain’s Defence Chief said, “We have a whole load of tasks expected of us.

Are fewer, yet more expensive military forces the best defense?

By Magnus Nordenman, the New Atlanticist

From Magnus Nordenman, the New Atlanticist:  While military forces have grown ever more sophisticated, their size and density have been on the decline for decades.